A funnel is a glass article made by a gob being pressed and cast in a predetermined shape after a gob supplied from a melting hearth is received into a mold.
When the funnel is drawn from the mold the funnel has a moil which is extended in the shape of a tube.
After this moil is cracked off at a predetermined length the edge of the cracked off part is fire polished by a flame, and it is connected with a separately shaped neck in a single body.
The moil of the funnel can be cracked off with the flame of a burner.
FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a prior art moil cracker wherein the moil 4 of the funnel 2 is cracked off at a predetermined length according to a designated line X--X.
The moil cracker 6 includes a yoke ring 8 being able to load the funnel 2.
If the moil 4 of the funnel 2 is inserted into the yoke ring 8, a crack-off wheel (not shown) that is installed under the yoke ring scores a predetermined part of the moil.
After the scoring is done, the circumference of the moil 4 is contacted with chilled air and a flame through an airpipe and a burner (not shown) respectively; a thermal impact is thus generated at the scored part and the moil 4 is cracked off by the thermal impact.
After the above operation is done, a worker transfers the cracked off moil to a fire polishing process.
The conventional method has disadvantages. It is ineffective because a worker has to place and then remove the funnel personally from the cracking-off process to the fire polishing process. Furthermore, this method is very dangerous because the worker must handle a funnel at high temperature (about 450.degree. C).
On the other hand, increased efficiency is achieved by using a plurality of moil crackers installed on an intermittently rotary turret. However, also in this case, all disadvantages are not overcome in that a worker still must handle a funnel of high temperature which has not yet cooled.
Furthermore, when the system breaks down, all the processes are suspended resulting in a large loss of productivity. In addition, this method still has the disadvantage that the worker has to personally transfer the funnel to the next process.